Families across Texas can vote for their favorite kid-friendly attractions, museums, camps, arts programs, STEM experiences, and family destinations in the 2026 Top 20 Places to Take Kids survey before voting closes June 20.

For 25 years, one of my core missions with KidsOutAndAbout has been to make invisible things visible, to celebrate what local communities offer families. Everyone is busy, and local treasures are easy to miss. Our job is to point, spotlight, nudge, and say, “Look here. Try this. Bring the kids.”

But there’s another kind of invisibility worth fixing: The people who create these experiences rarely get to see their full impact. They track tickets sold and kids enrolled, but may never hear that your child talked about their field trip for six months, found courage on their stage, or simply felt welcome exactly when they needed it.

That’s why our annual Top 20 Places to Take Kids survey matters. Each summer, we ask readers to vote for their favorite local places to take kids. The results help families see what other families love. The ranking and comments help local organizations see that their work matters. So your three minutes becomes both a recommendation and a thank-you.

The survey is simple: Click on your three favorite local destinations. Then also, optionally, nominate favorites in special categories—like arts, sports, and STEM education—and leave comments that we’ll pass along to the people who make these experiences happen.

This year, we are excited to partner with Texas Lifestyle Magazine and DFW Motherhood on the survey. We’ll all be shouting about the winners for 2026, so please make your voice heard all over Texas! Click here to vote in the 2026 edition of the survey. Help families find the places they’ll love, and help the people behind those places know they’re making a difference. The survey will be open until June 20.

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Cover Photo by Fabian Centeno on Unsplash

Debra Ross is the publisher of KidsOutAndAbout.com and co-author of The Eclipse Effect: How to Seize Extraordinary Moments to Build Strong Communities.